“She must have provoked him,” the man hissed, “Mateo is a strong, responsible young man.”
“We beg to differ,” she said. “Regardless, after he and his friends receive their punishment, you are welcome to bring him home.”
“Punishment?” Now, his nasty voice switched from spiteful to alarmed.
“Yes, Signore Costa. Of course, there will be repercussions for his actions. He will be allowed to call you tomorrow and you can determine how to proceed from there.” There is a long, unintelligible string of cursing in Italian, and she pleasantly cuts him off. “Have a good evening.”
After a moment of silence, she calls out. “Ivan, is Miss Aslanova waiting?”
The guard pokes his head into her office. “Yes Dean, accompanied by Mr. Toscano. Shall I keep him out here?”
“As a witness, he should be questioned as well,” she said placidly. “Bring them in.”
Dean Christie is lounging behind her magnificent desk, but she’s wearing coveralls of some kind and looking distinctly un-academic. There’s a grease stain on one shoulder.
“I do hope you didn’t hear that unpleasantness,” she said, gesturing to the chairs in front of the desk. I’m sure she intended on having us hear the conversation with Mateo’s father, so I shrug.
“Miss Aslanova, I would like to begin by commending you for your courage in the face of such an ugly situation.” She picks up a remote and turns on a monitor on the wall. “While we do not believe every inch of the campus should be under surveillance, the outlying running path is covered quite well with our security cameras, as well as the guards’ scrutiny. It could be considered a point of weakness to a potential exterior threat.”
“I see,” I said, watching the monitor. The footage is grainy, but it clearly shows Mateo and his band of assholes getting into place, waiting for me.
Lucca’s holding my hand, rubbing his thumb over my wrist. He must feel my pulse speeding up because he says, “We don’t have to see this.”
“It’s okay,” I interrupted, “I want to.”
He frowns at me, concerned, sitting back in his chair, and putting his arm over my shoulders.
The moment I see myself in the footage, I start to shake, but force myself to keep watching. My expression is furious, not terrified, the way I felt, and I attacked Mateo and Schmidt with a swiftness and force that was pretty strong.
“I’m so proud of you,” Lucca whispers.
Within seconds, he’s in the camera frame, tearing Mateo off me and pounding his face into unrecognizable mush. Ivan, the friendly guard arrives just after him, pulling his gun on the other three as they try to run away.
“They were so stupid that they held onto those highly illegal phones,” the Dean said in disgust, “they could have just thrown them over the cliff and destroyed the evidence.” Clicking the monitor off, she turns back to us with a professional smile. “I would like to get your statements, of course, though really, this case is quite clear.”
“What happens now?” Lucca said coldly. “Eye for an eye, isn’t that the justice standard here at the Ares Academy?”
Like the last time I’d seen her, Dean Christie’s smile slips from Fun Aunt to something chilling, almost feral. “If those little bastards had managed to hurt Miss Aslanova, I would have cut their dicks off. As it is, they will regret their actions for the rest of their lives.”
After giving our statements, I offered my hand to Ivan. “Thank you for what you did for me. I am so truly grateful.” Lucca told me that Ivan had directed him to where I was on the running trail. He might not have found me in time without his help.
Ivan slowly takes my hand, shaking it gingerly. “You are most welcome.”
Lucca says the oddest thing to him. “Does she have the table saw in her office?”
The guard’s eyes darted back to the building. “In the basement. In fact, I should return.”
“What was that about?” I said, appreciating the warmth of Lucca’s arm around my waist.
“I’ll tell you tomorrow,” he said, kissing the side of my head. “You’ve been through enough tonight.”
As we walk up the stairs of the student housing building, I see Dr. Giardo making his way to the main building, a large medical bag slung over one drooping shoulder.
Lucca…
“How’s she doing?”
Konstantin is standing behind me, looking at the view.
